Unspeakable in Forks
by Scioneeris
Summary: AU. Slash. In which Theo is an Unspeakable. Harry is an Unspeakable. They are married. What an unlikely pair. Can you imagine the trouble they get into? TheoxHarry pairing. Theo accepts an assignment that takes them to Washington, Forks.
1. Preparations

**Timeframe:**

2001-ish. Harry is 21. Voldy-moldy is dead. The rest of the world lives on!

**Summary:**

AU. Slash. Theo is an Unspeakable. Harry is an Unspeakable. They are married. What an unlikely pair. Can you imagine the trouble they get into? TheoxHarry pairing. SeverusxKingsley side pairing.

**Pairings:**

MAIN PAIRING: Harry Potter x Theodore Nott

Side Pairings: Severus Snape x Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ron x Hermione, Blaise Zabini x Draco Malfoy.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any Harry Potter anything or any Twilight anything. That belongs to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. I just like playing with their characters in my own little world of storyville. I make no money by writing this fanfiction. All original characters are my own.

**Rating:**

M – Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16

**Author's Notes: **This is part of a random TheoxHarry series I had planned out. I will update it as I have the time to proof the chapters I have written. It is posted by request for Zakayla. Enjoy, my fellow Theorry fan. ;)

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**WARNINGS: **Mature themes. Contains mentions of slash(m/m), moments/mentions of femslash(f/f), and Het (m/f). Scenes are not explicit as per FF guidelines. There will be definite hints of citrus. Mild D/s Themes. Possible gore/torture in future chapters. Fluff. Mystery. Mentions of past Abuse. OC's. OOCness. Very AU. Other warnings will be added as I see fit.

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**AUGUST 2001 : ENGLAND : Shared Residence. **

"The-o."

Harry Potter did not whine.

"No, Harry." Came the Slytherin's calm reply.

"But I don't want to!"

"I am not asking whether you want to or not. It has already been decided." Theodore Nott selected his second best pair of trousers and bent to inspect his newest pair of work boots. He could break them in with a spell, he reasoned.

"S'not fair."

"Life is seldom ever fair." Was the immediate, time-favored reply. "Now stop stalling and start packing."

"But we just came off assignment."

"And now we're going right back on it."

"Theo!"

"Harry."

The green-eyed brunet affected a sulky air, staring up at the ceiling from his position where he lay half-sprawled across the bed. "You just came back…" his voice trailed off, softly. "I missed you."

"And I missed you too, my darling little trouble magnet. There'll be plenty of time to catch up on the flight over."

"Why can't we take a portkey?"

"Because." Theo sighed. He straightened, spelling the rest of his belongings into his favorite trunk and transfiguring it to pass as typical muggle luggage. The ease in which he did so spoke of the experience of doing it several dozen times over, at least.

Harry didn't answer. He heard what wasn't said.

_Because you don't like portkeys since the graveyard and Cedric._

"It's a long flight."

"It's America." Theo countered. "That's a long way away from England."

"But why_ us_?"

"Because Severus and Kingsley asked." Theo returned, calmly. "Do _not_ push my bag off the bed, Harry. Honestly!"

Harry huffed at that, but again, he heard what wasn't said.

_Because we owe Severus and Kingsley our lives several times over and they trust us. _

"There. Done!" Theo stood back, hands on his hips, surveying the room. He'd hardly bothered to unpack from his last trip. The only thing out of place was his pouting husband with his arms crossed over his chest. "Harry."

"Why can't Blaise or Draco go?"

"Because Blaise is finalizing his latest divorce and you know Draco will never leave him alone when it's that time." Theo drew out a galleon from his trouser pocket. "Teacher's assistant or student?" He flipped the coin and slapped it on his wrist. "Call it."

"Do I have to?"

"If you don't, I will."

"Neither."

"Non-answers don't count."

"Theo, can't you just tell Severus that-"

"No one ever just _tells_ Severus something." Theo scoffed. "Heads it's student." He moved his hand and smirked. "Ha. I win. Tails."

"Ha, bloody ha." Harry retorted.

There was a long pause and then Theo sighed. He pocketed the galleon and tossed his wand on the bed, before circling around to stand in front of Harry's reluctant form.

Half on and half-off the bed, Harry thumped his feet half-heartedly against the side of the bed. Theo shook his head faintly, but reached down to shift Harry's legs, insinuating one knee between them as he knelt, moving forward to hover over his husband.

"You," he kissed the tip of Harry's nose. "Are," he kissed one cheek. "Being," he kissed the other cheek. "Difficult," he kissed that famous lightning bolt scar. "Why?"

Harry stifled a groan and turned away. "It's—it just—we—sometimes—I-!" He tried and failed to properly articulate the jumble of emotions, memories and words that tangled up in his chest. He'd missed Theo, who'd been out on assignment. The last mission hadn't required a partner and Theo worked well only with Harry or a very strict deadline.

All Unspeakables had their own quirks and that was one of Theo's. He'd read the file, skimmed the mission requirements and sent Harry packing to stay with a frazzled Ron and a pregnant Hermione.

He'd then turned up, unscathed—of course—and with a new mission in hand from their old mentors, one Severus Shacklebolt—formerly Snape—and one Kingsley Shacklebolt. It was something to do with America, potions ingredients, rogue vampires and a place called Forks.

Harry had dug in his heels at once, but Theo, of course, did not pay any attention to his token protests. Not after he'd cleared things with Luna, anyway, and the pretty Ravenclaw Seer had assured him that there was nothing to worry over.

"It's a long assignment, at least a few weeks." Theo shifted his attention to one faintly pinked ear and began to nibble along the edge of the outer shell. "We'll have the nights and the mornings to ourselves, not to mention the weekends. I know you've missed Kingsley too." Theo sniggered. "And Severus has probably missed you as well."

Harry's next objection came as a surprised gasp, when Theo tongued the earring dangling from one lobe and tugged it sharply with his teeth. "Ngh—he didn't." Harry arched his neck, allowing more room for those pleasurable ministrations. "I didn't either."

"You're both so bloody stubborn, it's adorable." Theo informed him. He then bent to sweetly ravish that protesting mouth. He distracted Harry with the kiss, working to unfold Harry's crossed arms and shifting to pin them over his head. Holding both wrists with one hand, Theo felt for his wand and set it to packing his husband's usual travel gear. "Do you want to stay with the Weasleys again?"

"No!" Harry tugged free of the one-handed grip and immediately locked his arms around Theo's neck. "No. I want…I'd rather be with you."

"Do you need to sit this one out?" Theo allowed him to steal a kiss.

"No…I'd…rather be with you."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because you've been ignoring me?" Harry peered up at that handsome face, watching the brown eyes darken in lust.

"Have I?" Theo purred.

"Yes, yes, very much so." Harry murmured. He twined his fingers through Theo's dark curls at the nape of his neck, enjoying the silken feel of them. He felt a distinct sense of gratification filter through him at the look of possession and want etched on Theo's normally impassive face.

"Neglected you terribly?" Theo buried his face in Harry's neck, sucking, kissing and nibbling at the softness there.

"Mmmhmm-ah!" Harry squirmed. "Right there…that's good…good…very…ah…good." He groaned as Theo slid one hand up his shirt and dug into his side with blunt fingernails.

Theo lifted his head, long enough to steal another kiss. He smirked into the moment, twitching his wand to pack the rest of Harry's things and send off the message to Severus that they would be leaving in a few hours.

Yes, there were other ways to travel to America and Harry wasn't necessarily averse to other means of wizarding travel, but to miss the chance to have his delectable husband beside him for a prolonged period of time?

Well, Slytherin habits never die.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! It's going to be short and fun, with plenty of little TheoxHarry bits. Let me know what you think. :) **


	2. Leaving for Forks

**See chapter one for disclaimers and warnings. **

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"I can't believe you did that." Harry accused. But it was more so for the principle of the thing than the fact that it had happened. He was quite used to it happening, mostly because he was pants at packing anyway and Theo always ended up doing it for him.

What he hadn't expected was for Theo to be multitasking when they'd been having a moment. At least, he'd certainly considered it to be a moment. The near feral grin on his husband's face had Harry instantly backtracking. He could definitely believe Theo had done that and knowing Theo, it had probably only taken him a few mere minutes to do the necessary spellwork.

His Theo was quite talented and powerful.

Naturally.

"You know, Harry, if you're really not feeling up to this," Theo began, teasingly. He curved an arm around Harry's waist and drew the smaller wizard flush against him. "You really could stay with the Weas-"

"Bastard." Harry smacked his arm and pushed ineffectively at the tight embrace that he didn't really want to break out of. As nice as the Weasleys were, he also hated staying with them, though he could never stand to take the same long assignments that Theo did. The short ones suited him fine and while he could handle two or three, while Theo was on a single, long stretch, he liked to be home when he knew Theo was due back.

He was mostly protesting, because he had missed Theo and he did want to spend some time alone and together, that didn't happen to be while they were on a mission. The last time they had, was a few years ago on a third anniversary. Since then, they'd managed to make a decent name for themselves as an inseparable pair of Unspeakables and as such, were kept constantly busy.

By the time the boarding call sounded out, Harry was back in happier spirits, content to thumb-wrestle with Theo in exchange for the candy coated pieces of chocolate, a muggle treat. They'd abandoned their self-proclaimed championship to find their respective seats.

"First class?" Harry bit back the exclamation that threatened to break out. He couldn't recall ever flying first class, though he had been acquainted with the necessary things to know for flying.

"So?" Theo gave him a light swat to move him forward. "I _am _allowed to spoil you, Harry." He murmured, smirking.

"B-but, this is ridiculous!" Harry hissed. He could already feel his face heating slightly as the flight attendant paused in the aisle and motioned towards the two secluded seats off to the right.

"Window or aisle?" Theo inquired, mildly. He smiled at the attendant and waved her off. Guiding Harry to a seat, he gave his husband a moment. Harry could take anything in stride, especially in the line of duty, but sometimes, when it was just the two of them, insecurities would float to the surface. Theo had a feeling this was one of those times.

"Just…stuff."

"Calming draught?"

"No." Harry paused, then he frowned. "You have one on you?"

"Never leave home without it." Theo quipped.

"…bastard." Harry mumbled again, half-heartedly. He half-kicked-nudged Theo's nearby foot.

"Cheeky." Theo retorted, moving said trouser-clad foot out of range. "Better?"

"…yeah."

"What happened?"

"Theo-"

"Harry."

"…it's just….it's first class." Harry twisted his hands in his lap, as if needing something to hold.

"I always travel first class. Doubly so when you're with me."

"…I usually fly economy." Harry's quiet remark would have passed over most people. He'd never flown with Theo before. He'd never had to, though he did recall traveling by train and boosted apparition. Once in a while, he would stomach a preferred portkey, but only because they were better than regular ones and _only_ because Theo was there with him.

But Theo was not most people. He was used to hearing what wasn't said, it was practically a Slytherin requirement. "I see. Agency orders?"

"…preference."

"I should fly with you more often then, if only to make the ride more interesting." Theo hummed. "Just relax, Harry. No one is expecting anything of you, in fact," Theo twitched his fingers and the short privacy curtain swung forward, sectioning them off from the rest of the luxury atmosphere in the first class section. "Better?"

Harry managed a smile, inwardly relaxing already. Theo knew him so well. "The red and yellow ones?" He bargained.

Theo rolled his eyes, but handed over the package of candy. He obediently held out his hands and let Harry empty the package into them and fish through the colorful mess to find the ones he wanted.

"You know they all have chocolate in the middle." He perked a brow.

"Yeah, so?" Harry was now separating the red from the yellow in his own hands.

"Merlin save me from your logic." Came the swift reply. Theo looked at the small handful of red and yellow, to his handful of green, blue, orange and brown. "Sure you don't want a green or a blue?"

"Maybe a green." Harry mused. He snitched two.

Theo snorted and settled in for the ride. He popped a few colored pieces in his mouth and crunched contentedly.

* * *

"Hmrf—Theo?" Harry asked, blearily. He only knew that he'd been having a strange sort of dream—not a nightmare—and then he'd felt his nice, warm pillow move.

"Shh. Go back to sleep, Harry."

The reassurance was all the smaller brunet needed and Harry's head lolled back to rest on his living pillow. Within a few seconds, his breathing quieted and evened out, as he fell into the practiced, light sleep that all Unspeakables were trained to mimic.

Theo stroked a hand through those messy curls and cradled Harry's head to the crook of his neck. He knew his husband needed the sleep. Nightmares were common for both of them and dreamless sleep could be addicting, even though Severus was working on a formula for daily use.

Harry never slept well when Theo was away and as a rule of thumb, the Slytherin always knew to make sure that said Harry had a chance to catch up on that missed sleep before they set out on their next adventure. He wished that he could simply tug Harry into his lap and hold his sleeping husband for the entire flight, but he wasn't about to tempt the fates that often followed the Chosen One.

In fact, he'd gladly settle for Harry's head pillowed upon his shoulder and his soft breath whuffling across his throat. He'd already removed Harry's glasses and folded them into his jacket pocket, before returning to his crossword puzzle. He'd found the muggle amusement and found himself unable to shake the habit.

Harry was infinitely amused and made sure to supply him with new puzzle books in three's and various levels of difficulty. Theo nibbled on the cap of the ink pen, wishing it was a sugar quill instead. _Four letter word that means…_

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_**A/N: Thanks for reading! (and the warm response to this fic.) Glad to find other TheoxHarry shippers out there. ;) Enjoy and let me know what you think. Chapters will be short and this fic should mostly be fluffy-ish. Timeline is set for right after Bella has started school in Forks and I will be taking liberties as it is AU, so expect some spy stuff for our Unspeakbles. ;) **_


	3. Kingsley Picks Them Up

**See chapter one for warnings/disclaimers/notes, etc. **

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They landed at a reasonably sized airport and Theo roused Harry as they taxied to the designated slot for disembarking. He stroked his fingers through the messy, tangled mop and pressed a kiss to the side of that famous scar. Harry stirred, faintly, leaning into the caress like a cat.

"We're here." Theo hummed, adding a bit more pressure, digging his fingers into the scalp to hurry along the waking process. The strokes turned to nice, welcome rubs with a hint of a scratch.

Harry gave a soft, appreciative moan, before vivid emerald eyes blinked open and immediately shut. Harry grimaced. "Glasses, Theo?"

"Just a moment," Theo drew them from his pocket and slipped them on that adorable face as Harry drew back, eyes closed, facing him expectantly. "Wanted you awake first."

Harry's green eyes blinked open behind the protective lenses and he gave a wan smile. "It's dangerous." He looked away, pushing the glasses further up his nose.

"You can't hurt me." Theo whispered back. He caught Harry's chin and turned that adorable face back towards him. "You have more control than you think." He kissed Harry on the nose and handed over his puzzle book, drawing his wand to cast the necessary charms to freshen and straighten them behind the privacy of their curtain.

"How many'd you do?" Harry took the book, flipping through the pages, eyebrows arching upwards. He liked to help solve them sometimes, even if his suggestions weren't really suggestions or helpful at all. Theo was sweet that way and he liked that softer side of his very sharp, Slytherin husband.

"Enough." Theo drew a pocketwatch from his lapel pocket and clicked it open. "Kingsley's here."

Theo had finished at least a third of the book. Harry hid a smile. He'd already ordered a new set. It would arrive at their apartment sometime in the next week. He'd have their house elf, Lucky, bring it over if Theo went through the others before then.

"Of course." Harry snorted. The chances of Severus leaving his precious lab were next to none, unless threatened with bodily harm and only if threatened by Kingsley himself. But he'd grown to appreciate the snarky, prickly man and held him in a somewhat grudging respect. Merlin knew he'd saved his life enough times, when he honestly had no reason to. Harry tucked away the puzzle book into his carry-on that he'd stowed beneath the seat in front of him.

Theo rolled his eyes. "And if he came out in this bright weather, you know he'd be perfectly miserable." He drew out his own carry-on and checked through it quickly, whipping out the new ID's for their new location and mission.

"Did you read the-" Harry stopped and rolled his eyes as if scolding himself. He reached up and fingered one of his earrings instead. A moment later, his voice echoed in Theo's head.

_Did you read the mission file?_

_While you were sleeping. Sleep well?_

_Yeah. Thanks._

_Want it?_

_Yeah. Just a sec…_

They stood up and straightened, about to draw the curtains, but Theo turned at the same time Harry reached for him. Their foreheads brushed lightly and the mental exchange leapt between them, silent and quick, as years of practice had made it.

_Thank you._ Harry grinned. He would be saved from having to read the file on his own, now that he had his own 'mental' copy, complete with Theo's own jibes to entertain him.

"Anything for you." Theo quipped. "Ready?"

* * *

Kingsley was indeed waiting for them in the quiet, end corner of the receiving line. He waited until he was sure both of them had seen him and then he turned and made his way towards the parking lots. Theo and Harry took their time following, taking in the new surroundings and making mental notes of important things like, distance, security measures and the current price for parking in the parking garage before the evening hours.

A lovely, navy blue SUV was parked in the corner, with Kingsley waiting in the driver's seat.

The young wizards promptly climbed in the backseat and then swung their respective gear into the open trunk space. They settled in, fiddling with the muggle safety seatbelts as Kingsley began to back out of the parking space.

"Are we driving all the way there?" Harry wrinkled his nose. Travel rarely agreed with him unless it was on foot or a broom.

Theo reached into his jacket pockets and produced a vial of Stomach Soother.

Harry grimaced, but took it, downing the liquid in relief. He brightened a moment later, and then scooted over to snuggle into Theo's available side. "Hi Kingsley." He smiled at the older wizard in the rearview mirror. They could talk freely now, the SUV was well-warded and Unspeakable-assigned, as a personal craft to the Shacklebolt household.

"Hi Harry," came the amused reply. "Good flight?"

"He wouldn't know," Theo answered, his left hand already finding its way into the soft curls at the base of Harry's neck, fingers rubbing gently along the warm patch of skin. "He slept the entire way."

"The entire way?" Kingsley laughed, a warm sound that filled the vehicle. "Lucky lad."

"Indeed." Theo smirked at Harry's near pout and tugged him even closer. He knew if their positions were reversed, Harry would be teasing him just the same. It was simply part of their dynamic. "How's Severus?"

The dark wizard shook his head. "That bloody bat will drive me insane." He muttered.

"Really?" Theo perked up. He always enjoyed hearing things from Kingsley's point of view. They were far more entertaining that Severus's clipped, clinical summaries. "What did he blow up this time?"

"This time, he's actually trying." Kingsley groaned. "It's some explosive potion, with a reaction delay or something like that." He shuddered. "I've been skipping off to the grocery store and unnecessary, useless stakeouts for peace, quiet and _sanity_."

Harry snorted. In spite of the seemingly unorthodox pairing, Kingsley and Severus were fairly well suited for each other. Both had deceptive looks, powerful magic and definite aura that they could turn on and off at will. And while Severus's sharp tongue could cut through anything, Kingsley's endless patience had the same equivalent of torture when he turned that unnerving gaze on an unsuspecting victim.

Both were fairly set in their habits, routines and with no desire to deal with the fairer sex and the drama that came with them and somehow had morphed from friends to spouses, perhaps the same way Harry and Theo had come about. Kingsley had his own annoying cache of habits to unleash, but as they did with most things, they took turns.

Apparently, Severus's exploding potions meant that it was his turn to indulge himself for a little while. Kingsley might complain, but Harry knew the older man was proud of his brilliant husband and his genius mind. He smiled, thinking of the last mission they'd collaborated on. It had been over in a flash, but it'd been fun just the same. Brilliantly executed and wonderfully exhilarating.

"Stakeouts?" Theo inquired, mildly. "And please tell me the wards are soundproofed."

"Habit." Kingsley reminded him. Soundproofed wards were practically a habit for all Slytherins and Severus had instilled that particular snippet of information within the first weeks of their deepening friendship. Like most Unspeakables, they all had their quirks and some of them had become life-saving habits. "And you'll be staying on the second floor, it's perfectly sound. The woods, actually. There's a reserve, an Indian one. I haven't really-" he frowned. "I've been more concerned with other things. "That was supposed to be Severus's job, because _he_ wanted to go _tromping_ and poking around in the woods for _ingredients_ and Merlin knows what else."

Theo nearly smiled. Kingsley hated stakeouts, he was more of a quick strategist and a man of action. There was much he could do that didn't require him to stand or sit still for long periods of time. In this way, he would make the plans and foist them off on a willing Severus who, with all of his years of spy training, could handle it like a pro. "Has anything in the files changed?"

"Well, there is a note on the Cullen family, the one with the animal-preference?"

"Mmm?" Theo let his hand slip from Harry's neck to skim down his side, where he calmly slipped said hand under Harry's shirt to caress the warm skin.

Harry all but fairly purred with delight.

"A new resident—daughter of the town's police chief—seems to be a singer one of the Cullen children—the mind reader, Edward. They've been dancing around each other since she arrived."

"A singer?" Theo's eyebrows arched upwards. "That's rather rare, isn't it?"

"There's a one in a million chance of a singer and their designated vampire being alive in the same century, much less in the same proximity." Kingsley sighed. "And it's so painfully obvious, if it were Severus teaching class, he would have hexed them within the first week."

Theo chuckled. Harry sniggered along with him and then nuzzled his side, appreciatively as the exploring fingers began to stroke a familiar rhythm along his side.

"Which of you is playing my assistant?"

"I am." Theo winked at the reflection in the rear view mirror. "I told Severus, but I wager you haven't been home."

"He exploded his lab and the house elves couldn't help repair it, so he had them moving things into the kitchen so he could work, while he took breaks to clean it up by himself." Magic could render some of the ingredients useless, so it would all have to be done by hand and with patience and an expert eye.

Theo grimaced. If there had been an explosion, he'd likely find himself down there cleaning and-ow! He started, faintly and turned to look down at Harry's mischievous eyes. He didn't really like being pinched, but Harry had long since realized what an effective way it was of arresting his attention. "What?"

"Don't worry, I'll help Severus clean." Harry stuck his tongue out, childishly. "Since I know you won't want to get your hands dirty."

Twin spots of red appeared at the tops of Theo's cheek and he pressed his lips together, not speaking, even as Kingsley chuckled in the front seat, a knowing smile on his broad face. "Much obliged, Harry." Theo pinched him back, enjoying the definite squirm, before Harry poked him in retaliation.

Harry's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "I'll help him clean and you can watch the potions, if that wouldn't take too much energy? I wouldn't want you to wear yourself out."

Theo made a choked sound in the back of his throat.

This time, Kingsley laughed out loud.

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**A/N: And this time, Harry had a chance to tease back. They're adorable, aren't they? Anyway, we'll see Severus in the next chapter. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this bit of fluff. Thanks for reading!**

**NOTE: An Unspeakable is a high-caliber wizard in the HP Universe that works at the Ministry Of Magic inside of the Department of Mysteries. There is very little known about them and they never speak of what they do, hence the term "unspeakable". **


	4. Home Is Where We Are

**See chapter one for disclaimers/warnings/summaries.**

* * *

They arrived at a lovely two-story home at the end of a lonely street, with giant, gnarled trees overshadowing the place and nearly obscuring the house from view. It was perfect, considering their occupations and tendencies to gravitate away from the spotlight. Being Unspeakables suited them all and while, technically, most wouldn't know their fellow witch or wizard, the Shaklebolts and the Notts had managed to work their way around that.

Kingsley drove straight into the open, two-door garage and sent out a mental poke to let Severus know he was back with their guests. He could already sense that his husband was busy in the typical mental high of brewing, apparently having managed to make quick work of cleaning up his latest failure. That was somewhat of a relief. He did not blame Theo for wanting to do anything else other than clean. "Need help?" He inquired.

A content Harry stretched like a cat, before handing his carry-on bag over to the helpful hands. He gifted Theo a kiss to the cheek to ease his disgruntled expression and then hoisted Theo's carry-on out himself. The Stomach Soother had helped to restore much of his generally easy-going attitude, Theo's petting had certainly helped as well and now, Harry was happy to be 'home' in a sense.

Wherever Theo, Severus and Kingsley were, that was the closest to a permanent home and he always craved the simplicity and reassurance that came from their awkward, sincere and completely dysfunctional family dynamics. He would never trade it for anything in all the worlds and realms in existence.

"Harry?" Theo's quiet voice pulled him out from his thoughts. Harry flashed a grin as he trotted after them to where Kingsley stood, holding the door open to the workshop off of the garage, while Theo stood at the feet of the stairs.

Minutes later, they'd entered the kitchen that was definitely spelled larger than it should have been and all of them winced as a collective whole, at the scent of burnt smoke and rancid-something-or-the-other, flecks of ash, along with even more unpleasant fumes accompanied it. Harry stared in a mixture of awe and horror.

The explosion must have been rather spectacular.

Severus Shacklebolt, Potions Master extraordinaire, stood at the far end of the kitchen, speaking rapidly and fluently in French, as he tended to six cauldrons lined up along the counter and in various stages of completion. He kept up a conversation with one of his long-distance brewing apprentices via the floo at the far end of the kitchen. After the war, he had sought asylum in France until Harry had smoothed things over and Theo had wrangled about the positions of Unspeakables.

His time in France, however, had led to a healthy attachment of the French language, the French brewing practices and the eager, quiet potions students that clamored to be taught under a respected, genius of a potions master. Severus hadn't been able to deny that he did want someone to teach his legacy to and after some months of debate and short temper, he'd taken Kingsley's advice to engage a long-distance apprentice.

Pierre Volancey, was a very thin, very tall, sharp-eyed specimen of a wizard. He was also well-traveled, well-read and very, very polite, with the occasional lapse in Latin, German and English, when he did not wish to offend his Master teacher in his native tongue. It was the strangest sort of teacher-student relationship possible, but both Severus and Pierre seemed quite content with it and Kingsley had let it be.

Harry grinned widely now as he realized they must have arrived in the midst of a lesson of sorts and the shouted phrases—albeit in a carefully measured half-whispers and hisses—was something of a lively debate. Severus's dark eyes seemed to glimmer and there were faint spots of color on his pale cheeks, while Pierre's insistent voice had taken on something of an accented purr.

Whatever potion they were working on, had to be quite stimulating, Harry reasoned. He studied the scene with more care, watching as Severus moved easily among his six cauldrons.

A metronome swung steadily at a position atop two thick potions books, providing a rhythm while the six potion recipes were strung across the wall, held steady by sticking charms, as Severus's keen eye and mind kept track with little effort. It was almost something of artistry as a chime sounded from somewhere and the dark-haired wizard immediately withdrew the stirrers, switched cauldrons and began focusing his attention on two more cauldrons. He stirred each one in a different pattern—at the same time, without breaking his conversation.

A brilliant man that finally had managed to receive a few good things in life, Harry mused. He thought of himself and Theo and the smile lingered a moment longer. Severus was not the only one who had finally come into some semblance of good fortune. He was lucky beyond all else to have a handsome, talented Slytherin to call his own.

Kingsley handed over Harry's bag and directed both young wizards up the stairs to the guest rooms. Severus would finish things up in a moment, at least, enough to speak properly and politely without being distracted by his potions, Pierre or half-ware of everything else as his mind tracked a dozen things in his typical, multitasking fashion.

And preferably in English.

Harry had never managed to get the hang of French.

* * *

By the time they finished unpacking and settling in, Harry was the first one to come bounding down the stairs after a few not-so-subtle suggestions for Theo to freshen up. The Slytherin was bordering on almost moody in a sudden, abrupt mood swing that Harry wasn't sure he wanted to figure out.

The best remedy for handling Theo's moods was simply to wait it out and make himself scarce. So Harry had done exactly that, and left his husband to his own devices. A quiet voice in the back of his mind suggested that the past missions were likely catching up and Theo just needed to process them. With that almost-reassurance in mind, Harry knew that he could amuse himself for the time being. He swirled into the kitchen, looking every inch of the vibrant, talented wizard that he was, his Unspeakable side perking up at the possible chance to be useful.

Kingsley smiled, fondly and held out an arm to finally give him a proper hello. "Harry." He murmured, hugging the younger man tight.

Harry sighed happily, all but melting into the embrace, enjoying the closeness of a man that had been practically like a father to him, right next to Severus. "Kings." He hummed. These were the moments that he missed when their odd little family unit was apart.

"Theo is sulking?" Severus's dark, silky voice cut through the moment. He had yet to look up from his cauldrons, but now, he set the stirrer to the side and turned to inspect Harry. Black eyes raked over the slender form with a critical eye. He had been the one to put in a request for Harry to take a temporary medical leave after the last mission, which had resulted in his temporary residence at the Burrow and thus among the Weasleys.

The brunet shrugged. The week had been good for him, a vigilante had managed to get a lucky spell past his shields and he'd needed the time to recover, even if it had left him nearly bored out of his mind and itching to climb the walls. Had Theo been there, he likely would have done the same to ensure his full recovery. Severus had simply seen that it was done. Harry half-smiled, allowing Severus to look him over from a distance. "I left him pacing the length of the hall. You really should tell him that you don't want his help to brew. It'll be easier for all of us."

Severus sniffed, but didn't answer.

It was as good of a confirmation that they would get, for the fact that he would tend his potions himself. Harry grinned and promptly darted forward and hugged the dour man in turn before he could react.

"Potter!" Severus's growl was all bark and no bite. "I am not some cuddly representation that requires your ridiculous emotional displays of physical affection!" The slender, wiry arms that squeezed him tight were absolutely by accident and they most certainly did _not_ pat him on the shoulders.

Harry grinned into the dark robes and after a good squeeze, quickly released his mentor-father. "I missed you too, Sev." He said, cheekily. And he had. "And don't let Theo hear you say Potter. It's Nott."

The man in black aimed a cuff for his head, slow enough for Harry to dodge, grumbling about disrespectful brats and their elders. Lily had always called him Sev. He allowed her son this one boon. He also knew that a certain brunet Slytherin was not really sulking upstairs but most likely finally crashing from the stress of the last slew of missions. Theo would always hold himself together—until they were all under the same roof.

No matter, he would simply keep an eye on Harry until Theo was back to himself. It shouldn't take too long. Theo was smart enough to recognize the signs and knew what to do about it.

Harry's grin grew wider as Severus's glare softened, faintly, upon taking in his barely concealed excitement. "Are there updated reports? Anything new? Kings updated us on the way here, but I want to see your notes." Out of all of them, Severus kept the most detailed, useful reports between them and Harry read them out of routine now, knowing that he could often pick up something out of them that he hadn't known before.

"You know where to find them," Severus retorted. He flicked his hands at the row of cauldrons sending them into stasis and erecting a ward that would keep magic away from them, enough so the house elves could finally return to their culinary domain. The diagnostic spell he'd cast when _not_ hugging Harry showed that the young man was in good health but probably in need of a meal. "Tea?"

"That'd be great, actually. Theo's been feeding me potions and chocolate." Harry's emerald eyes shimmered, faintly.

"Stomach Soother?" Severus guessed. Harry gave a minute shrug. The Potions Master didn't push it. Slipping out of his brewing robes, he clicked his fingers at a waiting house elf and led them into the corridor and down to the gloomy sitting room at the end.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! So Harry is back with Kingsley and Severus and our favorite potions master has French apprentice. I'll probably be starting the actual plot/mystery bit next chapter or so. Welcome to the new readers (and the lurkers!) :P Thanks for reading!**


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